Defluo Oblivio
by ChemistryMoogle
Summary: Only seconds before Harry defeats Voldemort, the Dark Lord takes Hermione away from Harry in a way that may be worse than death. As Harry races against time to save her, the repercussions of his actions are felt far outside of just he and Hermione. HHr
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

"Defluo oblivio"

How could I have known how those two words would affect my life? I had never heard them before, or seen them written on parchment. I still do not entirely understand what they mean. But I do understand what they have done.

They have taken her away from me in the worst way imaginable. He knows how much she means to me. He knew she would be there. He knew that he would not leave there alive if she was by my side.

As Professor Dumbledore explained to me what had happened to her, I could only sit in silence. The truth was devastating.

"'Defluo oblivio' – to be lost and forgotten. The curse has sent her to an unknown location, with no memory of her life, and no idea as to what she should do. She could be waking up anywhere right now, and know nothing better than to remain where she is."

My heart sunk with every word. _Hermione…_

Silence had flooded through the small group that had gathered in the Headmaster's office; Myself, Ron, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. I briefly glared at him, unsure of why he was here during this crisis.

"What? She's just out there somewhere?" Ron asked dumbly and I found myself annoyed by his momentary lapse into stupidity.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore replied quietly. I looked around the room, still too shocked to speak. Dumbledore looked truly troubled, which immediately made me feel even worse then I had a few seconds before. McGonagall was standing with her arms crossed across her chest, and it was obvious she was struggling to hold back tears. Yet when my eyes traveled to Snape, I was angered to see his face absent of any sort of distress. He quickly noticed me glaring at him, and stared back at me a moment before finally speaking up.

"There is one possible cure for her memory loss," he drawled out slowly, and both Ron and I leaned unconsciously towards him. He seemed hesitant to continue.

"If we are so lucky as to find her as she could be anywhere in the world right now, we have to somehow get her back to Hogwarts, to the exact spot where he cursed her, and somehow make her drink an anti-memory charm potion. This must happen within the next week," he finished quickly. Ron immediately opened his mouth, saying something stupid again no doubt, but I didn't hear it. My eyes were locked on Snape's. He had finished his explanation too quickly…he was leaving something out.

"There's more, isn't there? Something that you don't think can be accomplished?" I said toward him, but loud enough that I gained the attention of the entire group. Snape looked up at the four pairs of eyes trained solely and expectantly on him before continuing slowly.

"Mr. Potter, just locating her will be hard enough and could take weeks. Yet, if you somehow manage to find her, bring her back here, and get her to drink the potion, which will be a major feat in itself, considering its potency, there is one more thing that must be done," he told them, pausing to breathe deeply before continuing.

"After consuming the potion, she must be kissed by the person who was most important to her when she was cursed within 400 seconds."

"Well that'll be easy. If its something so important, I'm sure Hermione would let anyone kiss her," Ron spat out immediately.

"Don't be stupid Ron. She has no idea who she is. That means she doesn't know who we are," I said harshly to him. Ron looked towards me, and the look on his face puzzled me. He seemed unusually calm, and it gave me a sick feeling deep in my stomach.

I had known that Ron had a thing for Hermione since early on in our fourth year. It was so obvious, _no one_ missed it. Even Hermione didn't miss it, although she did an amazing job of acting as though she was oblivious. It was amazing that Ron bought her act, considering she _is_ Hermione, and Hermione never misses anything. I've learned that the hard way over the years.

She has missed one thing, though. Or at least I hope she has. While Ron was out and about complaining about Viktor or any other guy that ever came around Hermione, I quietly sat back while she confided in me how uncomfortable Ron's little infatuation made her feel, and how angered she was that when any guys got close to her, they dropped all communication with her the next day, they're only excuse being they didn't want to suffer the wrath of the Weasley clan. She had been furious about that and eventually snapped, and burst out screaming at Ron in the middle of the common room, making his ears redder than his hair with embarrassment.

I sat quietly and listened to her when she needed someone to talk to. Those were the times I felt the closest to her. I sat by her side while she dated Seamus for 4 months in sixth year and through their ugly breakup. Another girl, she had told me. In the boys room, where she had walked in and seen them kissing. When I saw the tears in her eyes as she descended the stairs into the common room, I had taken her hand and led her away from Gryffindor tower to the Room of Requirement, which only held a small sofa. It was all we needed. She had smiled while crying, apologizing over and over, "I'm sorry, Harry. I know girls usually cry with other girls, but I'm not comfortable with any girls. I'm only comfortable with you. I'm so sorry," she had said, before breaking down into tears while I took her into my arms. My heart broke a little more with every word she spoke, and every tear she shed. How could she ever have thought that I'd be bothered by her coming to me. That I wouldn't _want_ her to come to me.

Through all of this, as I said before, she had skimmed over one minor detail. The detail that sometime during fourth year, (actually, one exact, pin-pointable moment), I fell for her as well. I fell in love with my best friend. I fell in love with Hermione.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Minerva, begin organizing a search team. Contact Remus, Tonks, Arthur, Molly – all you can gather. Severus, begin the potion," Dumbledore dictated quietly, breaking into my thoughts. I looked up and saw Snape and McGonagall exit quickly, closing the door behind them. I looked up expectantly to Dumbledore.

            "Do you think we can find her, sir?" I asked hesitantly. He sighed deeply before slowly leaning over his desk to get closer to Ron and me.

            "Yes, Harry. I do honestly believe that we can find her," he said slowly, sending relief rushing through my veins. I felt my face flush as I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that everything was going to be alright.

            "The spell he used requires a great deal of concentration, because it is essentially two spells combined. A very strong memory charm, combined with a relocation spell. The amount of concentration put into the spell determines how well guarded she will be from our seeking charms as well as how far it sends her. Seeing as the Quidditch pitch was in complete chaos when she was cursed, I can't imagine he was able to create any more than a moderate location guard.

            "Now, boys, I need you to help in thinking a list of people Hermione is close to – who might have been the most important person to her when her memory was lost. But I'm pretty sure that that person is in this very room, and by all means, it definitely isn't me…" he trailed off, looking up to smile at me over the rims of his glasses. I immediately looked away from him, and could feel the redness crawling up my neck to my cheeks. _What the hell did that mean? _My eyes darted over to Ron's face, and the sickening feeling that had previously occupied my stomach immediately returned. He looked content, like there was no serious crisis currently taking place with Hermione…_my _Hermione.

            "But, in case that I am incorrect in my assumption," Dumbledore interjected into my thoughts once again. "We do need to have all possible people present at the time. You two know her best. Please have a list prepared within one or two days, so we may begin gathering those people to Hogwarts."

            "Yes sir," I muttered quietly before turning on my heel and exiting the office, so quickly that Ron had to jog to catch up with me.

            "Hey Harry! What's wrong?" he called to me as he caught up to me, and reached out to pull on my shoulder. I turned on him before he could touch me.

            "Why the hell are you so calm, Ron? Don't you care if she ever comes back?" I snapped at him. Shock crossed his face for less than a second before it passed and he resumed that calm, content demeanor.

            "Of course I want Hermione back. I'm just saying that its not that big of a deal," he remarked casually, shrugging his shoulders. My mouth fell open and my eyes grew wide as I gawked at him. A sudden urge of anger welled up inside me – _how dare he think of this like that. I could lose her completely if anything goes wrong…_

            My face screwed up into a scowl as I turned away from him and continued down the long hall away from Dumbledore's office. I was only five steps away before he called out again.

            "Dumbledore's right, you know."

            I stopped mid-stride, my breath catching in my throat. I knew exactly what Ron was referring to.

            _"…that person is in this very room…"_

I turned my head around to look at Ron. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and was leaning against the stone wall, a smug smile on his face. For a brief second, he reminded me of Malfoy.

            "Her most important person was in that room," he said, his eyes glazing over with a faraway, dreamy look.

            And then it hit me.

            All those times that Hermione and Ron had bickered around me, all those times she had sighed in relief that he was gone at Quidditch practice in fifth year and we were left alone, all those times she had put on the act that she was seriously uncomfortable around Ron…could that have all been an act to deceive me? Could they have been seeing each other and doing this to keep it from me? Would she do that?

            I looked at Ron, only to be met with another stinging remark.

            "Don't worry about that list, Harry. It's all taken care of."

            I turned away from him, knowing my pain was evident on my face. _Hermione, Hermione and Ron, Hermione and Ron, _my mind screamed at me as I took off at a run, desperate to get away from him. _It can't be true, it just can't be…_

            By the time I reached the quidditch pitch, I was out of breath and no longer able to control the tears in my eyes. _It couldn't be true. She wouldn't lie to me. But why is Ron acting like that? Did something happen between them? Why didn't they tell me? Why didn't I see it! I thought her and I were close...she would have told me!_

            "What's going on?!" I screamed across the field at no one as I lost control. I fell to my knees on the cold grass, covering my face with my hands as tears rebelliously slid down my cheeks. I stayed there for a long time, angry tears running down my face as I gasped for air, suddenly unable to breathe from the immense pressure bearing down on my chest. I felt as though I had lost a part of my friendship with her. A part that had always been reserved for just her and I. A part that I had always cherished.

            I slowly let myself lean onto my side, water in the grass seeping into my robes. I have no idea how long I laid there before finally picking myself up and heading back towards the school. When I arrived I passed the Great Hall without stopping. I could hear everyone inside, celebrating and talking and eating dinner. I kept walking, unconsciously heading away from Gryffindor tower, and before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of the library. When I arrived at its doors, I stared up at its sign as if I'd never seen it before. The library; where I always used to find Hermione. My gaze fell downwards again and into the open doors, where I could see shelf after shelf of books. The library; where I could find some answers.


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews. Since the previous chapter is so short, I decided to upload two today. Hope you enjoy them!

Chapter Three

I stayed in the library well past midnight, a record for anyone other than Hermione. I found only bits and pieces of information about "Defluo Oblivio," and was ready to give up when a line caught my eye.

            _In the event of the failure of all locating spells, please refer to charms such as appropinquo defluo._

All the thoughts and worries that had been flying through my head suddenly ceased. _What's this? _I felt all the hair on my body stand on end. _Dumbledore__ didn't mention this…_

            I practically ripped textbooks to shreds over the next few hours, slowly finding out that _appropinquo__ defluo _meant "to approach the lost," that it was a relatively simple spell to cast, and was a wonderful way to counteract the 'lost' part of Defluo oblivio. Cast the spell, and be taken directly to Hermione, no matter where she is.

            Gripping the book to my chest as if it were my life, I fled the library and ran full speed to Dumbledore's office. I breathlessly spat out the password, and road the revolving stairway up. When I stepped out of it, I was surprised to see the office packed with people – Tonks, Moody, Arthur, Molly, Remus, Snape, Madame Pomfrey and McGonagalll. They had all been bustling about, talking quickly and pouring over a huge map that now occupied an entire section of a wall, and portrait wizards could be heard complaining from underneath. By the time I had taken this all in, they had all fallen silent and were staring at me expectantly.

            "What is it, Potter?" McGonagall asked me. I stared at her stupidly, still trying to catch my breath, before looking down at the book in my arms. I hastily kneeled on the ground and opened the book, thumbing through page after page. _How stupid, Harry…didn't even mark the page, _I swore at myself. I finally found it and heaved the book back into my arms, and plowed through everyone until I was next to Dumbledore, who was seated at his desk. I threw the book in front of him and pointed to the spell. His eyes perused the page for only a second before he looked up at me slowly. He seemed to be studying my face, and I was suddenly aware of just how frantic I must look.

            "Well, Harry, I see you have been doing some researching of your own," he said slowly, not expressing any surprise at what I had just shown him. "There are some small preparations not mentioned here that must be done, but other than that, when would you like to go?" he finished, eyeing me with a small smile.

            "Now!" I blurted out without paying attention to what he had said. He'd said okay. I can go to her…

Half an hour later

            Dumbledore's small preparations would have been small preparations if the room had not been full of so many people. Remus became immensely protective, making me recite all the information that Dumbledore was telling me three times over. McGonagall suddenly got very motherly, which was quite possibly the most bizarre experience of my Hogwarts career. Madame Pomfrey had loaded my bag with all sorts of potions, explaining that the curse may have physically hurt her as well as the obvious affects, and extra care was needed since it struck her in the face. Her words made my heart pump harder in my chest and I felt lightheaded with worry. And then Dumbledore hushed everyone up all of a sudden, and his voice turned very serious.

            "We have placed a locating charm on you, so that as soon as the spell is complete, and it takes you to her, a small mark will show up on the map," he said, motioning to the enormous world map hung on his wall.

            "Now Harry, I know as well as you how you're going to feel once you find her. But you must keep in mind that she doesn't remember anything of who she was. Severus has told me that the potion will be ready in four days. You need to make her comfortable with you and convince her to come here with you by that time. And Harry-" he trailed off, motioning for me to lean my ear close to him. I did so, and everyone else suddenly found other objects of the room more fascinating that us.

            "Do not under any circumstances…_attempt_ anything." He whispered. I took a step back from him, puzzled and confused by what he had said. _'Attempt anything?' What did that mean?_

            "Harry, it is time," I heard Remus say quietly as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, and picked up the large bag that Dobby had packed with food and warm clothing, and slung my broomstick over my shoulder. Everyone muttered a quiet "Good luck" or "See you soon," as I faced Dumbledore.

            "I'm ready," I said, and he nodded in reply. I slowly withdrew my wand and pointed it at myself. Everyone in the room drew silent, and I suddenly found myself shaking slightly. I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down, when I suddenly realized something very important. I lowered my wand, and everyone let out an anti-climactic sigh. I lowered my head, training my eyes on the floor.

            "Sir?" I asked.

            "Yes, Harry?" he asked, endlessly patient. I was silent a moment, wondering what the consequences of my journey were going to be.

            "Please, don't tell Ron," I said quickly, before raising my wand and speaking the words, my voice shaking.

            _I'm coming, Hermione…_

            _"_Appropinquo defluo."__

            Harry disappeared from in front of them in a small shimmer of light, and everyone eagerly turned towards the map on the wall. After a few seconds, a small twinkle appeared in the southern hemisphere, on the small, northern island of New Zealand.

            "Hello again, Harry," Dumbledore whispered quietly, smiling at the map.

Soon afterwards, everyone in Dumbledore's office slowly dispersed until only McGonagall was left.

            "Albus?" she said, looking at him inquisitively.

            "Yes, Minerva?" he replied.

            "Why did you not mention performing appropinquo defluo earlier? We could have put a lot of unnecessary effort into learning her location if Potter had not brought this to our attention," she said, removing her glasses and wiping them with a corner of her cloak. Dumbledore settled back into his chair, and seemed to be pondering her question. Silence fell over the office for a few long moments before he spoke.

            "I did not mention it earlier because both of the boys were in the room," he finally said, and Minerva's eyes flew up to meet his.

            "Do you really intend to not inform Mr. Weasley of what is going on?" she asked.

            "Yes Minerva. For Hermione's own good, he must not know."

            "What shall I tell him when he asks about Harry?"

            "Inform Mr. Weasley that Harry has gone back to London to inform her parents of what has happened, and to bring them back to Hogwarts," he told her, his eyes darkening.

            "But why sir?" she asked.

            Dumbledore lifted his head, eyes expressing to her his seriousness. "I do not know why, but I believe this may not go as smoothly as we are planning." He told her, his eyes heavy with worry.

            "Is there anything else, sir?" she asked quietly.

            "Just one thing, Minerva. On your way to your quarters, could you please stop by the library, and remove all books from the shelves that mention 'appropinquo defluo.' We wouldn't want anyone else to come across them."

            "Yes sir," she replied quietly, and turned and quickly left the room.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter IV

Dumbledore never mentioned what experiencing appropinquo defluo would be like. I recall standing in his office and performing the spell, and feeling weightless for only a second before blacking out. I don't know how long I was unconscious, but I do recall dreaming while I was out. I dreamed of what had occurred less than a day before. When I lost Hermione. When I defeated Voldemort.

We knew he had been planning an attack on the school. All magical wards and seals had been checked and rechecked, and the entire student body was gathering to perform a united strengthening spell. We were all gathered on the edge of the quidditch pitch, the field stretching out to one side, and Hogwarts up the hill on the other. I remember staring up at the sky while the students were being organized, a horrible feeling growing in my stomach. It was sunny, with only a few clouds scattered across the brilliant blue sky. All of the students above 3rd year were gathered in a circle, with the lower years being held in their houses. It was unmistakable that there was a strong concentration of teachers near the Slytherin section, and I blindly hoped that for once they would choose to not cause any trouble. I was between Ron and Hermione among the Gryffindors, We had all been given the words of the spell a few hours earlier, and had been preparing since then. We all knew the seriousness of the situation, and how important our full attention was.

The ceremony went without problem. We all held our wands in our right hand and pointed it toward the person at our right, who wrapped their left hand around the tip, and repeated the action. The entire group was joined by wand and hand, and we all began slowly reciting the words.

"May these grounds, found by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin remain as they always have. One this hill it shall forever stay. No one shall now venture onto its grounds, as no one shall now venture out. Defendo insquequo infractus."

With those final words, light sprung from everyone's wand and through the person next to them, until the entire circle was glowing. Everyone's faces were lit up brilliantly by the pure magic flowing through them, and soon the inside of the circle began to fill with the mysterious light as well. "Don't waiver!" I heard Snape yell from somewhere, as the effects of the spell began to take its toll. It was immensely draining, and I saw some younger years begin to sway as if they were about to fall over. I looked across the circle for only a second more before the light in the center became blinding and shot up into the sky, then scattered and fell to the ground, as if rolling down the sides of an upside down bowl. I turned away from it, closing my eyes tightly and turning away from it, yet never losing my grip on my wand or Ron's. I heard Hermione gasp next to me and my eyes flew open and I looked to my right. She too was turned away from the light, towards me, and was gazing up at the sky. The light enclosed the quidditch pitch, the lake, and Hogwarts into it, illuminating all within its boundaries in the most amazing brilliance I had ever seen. And then, as quickly as it came, it faded, leaving only a slight sparkle in the sky above us. We had succeeded. We had just created a barrier that no one could enter. This was hard to take comfort in though, as we had also just sealed ourselves in.

The field fell silent and remained that way, an eerie feeling overcoming us at the realization that we had just locked ourselves in. We all stood in place while the teachers began testing the barrier, firing numerous, nameless curses at it. Ginny was on the other side of Ron, and every few seconds we would hear a loud, nervous hiccup from her. We would all turn to her and smile as much as we could, which was barely at all, before looking away again, knowing it was hopeless. Eventually her nerves got to her and she was suddenly sniffling and wiping away tears. Ron turned to her and immediately took her into his arms, and they held onto each other tightly. I couldn't help but watch, transfixed by the sudden rush of brotherly emotion from Ron, when I felt a slight squeeze of my hand. I turned away from them and towards Hermione. She had taken my hand tightly in hers, and gave me an unsure smile.

"Harry…" she said, suddenly looking nervous as she bit her lip slightly.

"What is it?" I asked her, worry flooding through me. She smiled at me again, a little more sure of herself.

"I just wanted to tell you…" she started before trailing off and looking away into the distance.

"What Hermione? You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know," she replied, looking back to me. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm here with you now. And I always will be."

What she had been speaking about wasn't about this simple spell casting. She meant everything, up to the very end, whatever that end might be. I felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards her loyalty, the back of my mind nagging at me that Ron had never said such a thing. Before I knew what I was doing, I had pulled her into a fierce hug, her gripping me as tightly as I was gripping her. She had always been my rock. I knew I was nothing without her.

Unfortunately, Voldemort knew that as well.

We parted after hearing a girl scream, and we looked up to see her pointing across the quidditch pitch. Hermione and I turned and saw numerous figures in dark cloaks at the opposite end of the field, and watched as more appeared, seemingly from thin air.

"Death eaters," she breathed, but her realization was no surprise to me, as my scar had erupted into head splitting pain just a second before. I winced but kept my eyes trained on the Death Eaters.

_Invisibility cloaks_, my mind screamed at me. _They're all under cloaks_.

"Orior!" Dumbledore shouted loudly, and sent a spell flying in their direction. It exploded and swept swiftly across the field, revealing all the Death Eaters from under their cloaks. My stomach leapt into my throat at the final count – at least thirty.

Screams erupted from the students, which all instinctively began to flee toward the school. I immediately turned to Hermione. I had always known this would happen. And I had always prepared for it.

"Listen to me Hermione," I told her, grabbing her forcefully by the shoulders. She stared up at me with wide, scared eyes.

"I need you to go back to the school. Please, Hermione. I couldn't hand it if something were to happen to you," I blurted out quickly, just as I had imagined.

"But Harry!" she began to protest, just as I had imagined.

"Please Hermione. I love you!" I shouted over her protests. Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me in shock, just as I had imagined. Suddenly she leapt up into my arms, and squeezed me as tightly as she could. I had barely a second to cherish it before she left me and turned and began running, with only one fleeting look back at me, tears running down her face. I watched for only a second before my hands flew up to my cloak buttons and I began pulling them apart. I quickly pulled it off and turned it inside out while chaos erupted around me.

_At least Hermione is safe,_ I told myself. _It will all be alright._

No one except for Dumbeldore knew about the modifications on my cloak. A week earlier we had taken my invisibility cloak and sewn it to the inside of my school cloak, so when reversed it would be invisible. I quickly pulled it on and drew my wand. I knew he was here; the pain in my head was so intense. I looked around frantically for a discernable leader among the death eaters as they dueled the teachers and the D.A. members that had stayed to fight. I ran around the edge of the group and looked out over everyone. Finally, I spotted Dumbledore a way off from the group, wand point to wand point with a masked Death Eater at the base of a hill. I ran frantically toward them, making sure my cloak was trailing on the ground and fully covering me, and I reached them in only a few seconds. I knew it was Voldemort. The pain was so severe, he couldn't possibly not be the man that now stood only 10 feet from me. Then to my horror, he realized the same.

He raised his hooded head suddenly, and ceased talking with Dumbledore. He seemed to completely lose interest the headmaster standing in front of him, and slowly began to turn his head towards me, as if he could smell me. My breathing quickened as I slowly raised my wand, trying to aim it at him without letting myself be seen. Then a familiar voice rang in my ears.

"Attero!"

_Hermione._

I watched as he turned his head suddenly away from me and Dumbledore and looked up the hill. Hermione stood near a tree, wand poised, a large blue hex flying quickly away from her wand towards Voldemort.

"Defluo oblivio!" he uttered quickly, sending a black ball of flame heading straight for Hermione.

"Accio wand!" Dumbledore shouted less than a second later. Voldemort's wand flew from his hand and into the Headmaster's, and Voldemort turned just in time to see him break his wand cleanly into two.

"Avada Kedavra!" I screamed, parting my cloak and aiming point blank at Voldemort. He turned towards me quickly, and for only a second I saw his red eyes from under his hood before the curse hit him. That horrible green light that had haunted my dreams for the last 17 years had left my own wand and struck down the worst wizard to ever walk the earth. I didn't waste time to watch his body fall before my eyes flew back up the hill. My eyes met Hermione's for only a second before she finally noticed the curse he had sent flying at her. She turned to run, her hair spinning through the air around her.

"Hermione!" I screamed, taking off up the hill after her. She turned her head back to look over her shoulder, and I watched in horror as the curse hit her directly the face. She staggered to a stop, and she looked as if she was fighting to remain conscious. I scrambled frantically towards her, clawing at the grass as I hurried up the hill. She was only a few feet away from me when her knees gave out and she began to fall. I fell to my knees, reaching my hands out under her, prepared to catch her in my lap. I felt her hair lightly brush my fingertips, yet she never landed in my outstretched arms. She had vanished.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter V

I awoke abruptly, my eyes flying open as my senses returned to me. I blinked rapidly, middle of the day sunshine glaring brightly into my eyes. I was flat on my back on the ground, and I quickly noticed golden wheat reaching up around me and waving slightly in the wind. The ground was welcomingly warm beneath me and oddly comfortable, and I remained where I was for a few, long moments. As my eyes adjusted I looked up at the sky above me, which was almost completely devoid of clouds except for a few small, wispy ones. As I looked up at the magnificent blue sky the wind suddenly gusted, making the wheat sway to the side, and for a second I could see tall, magnificent mountains rising in front of me. I quickly remembered why I was here and sat up. That was when I saw her.

Only 20 feet away from me, I could see her hand reaching up from the ground, twirling a piece of wheat back and forth between her fingers. My heart leapt into my throat at the sight. I scrambled to my feet and began to make my way towards her, not caring to notice that I had tripped over my bag, which had I had completely forgotten about. I made my way towards her, and when I almost reached her a breeze blew through again, swaying the wheat. She too was sprawled out on her back, simply twirling the wheat and gazing up at the sky. As I quickly skimmed my eyes over her, I noticed she had numerous small cuts and bruises on her face. I was almost on top of her when she finally noticed me. She turned her head slightly, her eyes lazily looking away from the sky and to me.

"Hello," she said, smiling at me.

"Hi," I replied back to her, my voice shaking. She looked at me for a moment in silence, her face open and smiling.

"How are you?" she asked. It seemed too unreal that she had no memory of us. She almost seemed normal.

"I'm alright," I replied, sitting down next to her. "And you?"

"Pretty good," she replied.

For the next few moments, we just sat in silence. She turned her gaze back to the sky, seemingly fascinated by it, and I stared at an empty space in front of me, my senses completely tuned into her. She seemed so calm, so carefree, so vulnerable. I wondered how I would go about making her trust me and follow me back to Hogwarts. I suppose I would have to tell her about the whole magic, wizarding world…thing. We were to travel by a spell Dumbledore had quickly taught me that would return us to his office. I ran a hand through my hair nervously. _How am I supposed to do that if I just appeared out of no where and she doesn't even care?_

"You, uh…" she said quietly, breaking into my thoughts. "You wouldn't happen to have any food with you, would you?" I turned my head slowly towards her, and saw her smiling up hopefully at me. I felt a smile that I couldn't deny creep across my face.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied, smiling and nodding my head. A smile broke out on her face that stretched ear to ear, a smile of hers that I hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Over the next hour we sat on a blanket I had brought, and pulled out the food that Dobby had packed for me. She was starving and ate like I had never witnessed Hermione eat before. I couldn't blame her, seeing as it had been around a day since she'd last eaten. She happily ate away at sandwiches and cookies while talking quite animatedly with me about basically nothing. All she could speak of was her surroundings, which included the mountains, sky, wheat, and me. When the topic of conversation turned towards me, she finally unleashed the barrage of questions that I had been expecting when I first saw her.

"So, what's your name?" She asked quite suddenly, before breaking a cookie in half and tossing it into her mouth.

"Harry," I replied. I could still hear Dumbledore's warning about refreshing her memory in my head, but I still had no idea what he had meant. Before I could really consider it, she asked me a question I could not avoid.

"Do you know what my name is?" she asked just as suddenly as her last question.

"Yes," I replied. I glanced over at her and saw that she had frozen in the middle of raising food to her mouth, and was staring at me curiously.

"You do?" she asked. I nodded slightly, hoping that I wasn't going to mess this up.

"Hermione," I said quietly.

"Hermione," she repeated, the word sounding foreign to her tongue. "Do you know who I am?" she asked eagerly, putting down her cookie and turning to face me. She looked as if she was on pins and needles, and was staring at me as if I was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

"Well, yes, I do," I said quietly. Her eyes widened and she crawled towards me on her knees, her eyes boring into me.

"Really?" she whispered. I nodded to her again, and couldn't help but smile at how eager she was becoming.

"We go to school together. We're best friends," I told her.

"We are?" she said again, inching even closer to me, into my personal space. I nodded, the sudden closeness making my cheeks feel like they were on fire.

"Harry?" she asked, suddenly grabbing my hand in both of hers. My eyes darted up to hers, which had gone from curious to incredibly sad. Just the sight of her tears made me want to tell her everything and hold her and reassure her that she'd be alright. But Dumbledore's voice was still fresh in my mind.

I placed my hand over hers gently, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Listen, everything will be alright. Where I'm…well, we're from, they're working on something right now that will bring back your memory. We're going to go there in a few days and everything will be fine," I reassured her, squeezing her hand. She just stared at me, slight disappointment crossing her face.

"I'm here to take care of you. Don't worry, okay?" I said, watching as a single tear rolled down her cheek. As I reached up and gently brushed it away, she nodded silently, and the look on her face broke my heart. She looked so lost and confused it made my heart ache. She sniffled quietly and then looked up at me with purpose.

"Thank you Harry, I believe you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," I said, smiling at her. "Now, how about you let me take a look at those cuts on your face. Our school nurse gave me a bunch of stuff that is supposed to heal them and keep them from scarring," I told her, reaching into my bag and pulling out numerous bottles, along with the instructions that Madame Pomfrey had scribbled down for me.

A few minutes later Hermione was lying quietly on the blanket while I carefully cleaned the cuts on her face. The curse had done quite a number on her, and had left a particularly nasty gash that began at the bottom of her cheek and ran under her jaw. I suspected as soon as I saw it that it would leave a scar, no matter how miraculous a potion Pomfrey had given me.

"Is it bad?" she asked nervously after noticing I had paused to study the cut.

"No, not horribly. It might scar though," I replied to her, and all worry left her face.

"Well, that's not a big deal," she replied. She lazily closed her eyes as I began softly dabbing the cut with a cleansing potion.

"That's making it feel a lot better," she said quietly. I smiled at her as she sighed deeply, settling into the blanket. After a few moments I noticed she was breathing deeply, and a soft peace had settled over her. I quietly closed the bottles I had scattered around and placed them back in my bag. As I turned back to Hermione, she rolled onto her size, and settled back into sleep. That simple action made my heart swell in my chest.

"Sleep well, Mione," I whispered as I laid down on the other side of the blanket, silently watching her until I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter Six

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for this chapter taking so long! I had finals and now I'm in the middle of moving to a new apartment, but thing are calming down quickly. Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but its stuff that had to be said before the good stuff can come. The next chapter will be up within a week. Thanks so much for your patience!

Chapter Six

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts

"What do you mean he's gone?" asked Ron as he proceeded to follow Professor McGonagall from her classroom.

"He's gone to fetch Hermione's parents, Ronald. Please stop badgering me about it," she replied as she hurried down the hall towards her private office.

"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath, running a hand roughly through his hair. His face and ears had flared red in anger as he heard the news that only Harry had been allowed to see Hermione's parents. _What about when I go meet them for the first time! They're going to wonder why Harry was sent to get them instead of their daughter's boyfriend…damnit!_

After only a second of hesitation he turned on his heel and headed for Dumbledore's office. When he reached the enormous doors, he spat out the password and rode the stairs to the top. As soon as he stepped foot in the office and spotted Dumbledore standing behind his desk, he began shouting a barrage of questions.

"Why did you only let Harry go see her parents?!" he demanded. Dumbledore turned around slowly, seemingly not surprised by the sudden outburst of a student in his office.

"Why wasn't I told? Why wasn't I asked to go?!" Ron burst out again, seemingly unaware that he was yelling at his Headmaster.

"I sent Harry because I cannot allow both of you to leave the grounds. Keep in mind Ronald, that you were raised wizard, and Harry was raised muggle. You could get into trouble just running off into the muggle world," Dumbledore replied, staring at Ron patiently over his spectacles.

"But professor!" Ron stammered, and the fire in the fireplace behind him flared up temporarily.

"Ronald, please calm yourself down," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes flicking to the fireplace and back to him again. "He will be back in a few days time, and everything will be taken care of," he finished, moving to his desk and sitting down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have quite a few graduation diplomas to sign. Off with you now," he said, picking up his feather pen and dipping it in an inkwell. Ron stood in the office only a moment longer, his mouth fallen open, before turning and exiting the office.

Dumbledore looked up after him, and once he was gone he called out, "Minerva?"

"Yes, Albus?" she replied, her head suddenly appearing in the fireplace.

"Did you notice anything funny about Mr. Weasley's conversation?" he asked her, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes sir. He neglected to ask if we have found Hermione," Minerva replied, disappointment evident in her voice.

"Indeed, Minerva. Do you see now why I requested we not tell him what is going on?"

"Yes, Albus. Unfortunate as it may be," she replied. They were both quiet for a moment before Dumbledore continued.

"Minerva, I'll be changing the password to my office to jelly bellies in a few moments. When Harry and Hermione arrive, I'd like to keep them both hidden away until we perform the ceremony."

"Yes, sir." Minerva replied, then her head disappeared from the fire. Once she had left, Albus slowly raised his hand and muttered, "Accio Marauder's Map." From some unknown level of the castle, the role of parchment came flying through the hallways and into his hand a moment later.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said quietly, tapping his wand to the paper. Ink immediately flowed magically from the wand, and painted a blue print of the grounds, and dots began popping up everywhere. He quickly located the dot labeled, "Ronald Billius Weasley," which was moving quickly towards Gryffindor tower. He laid it down on the side of his desk, and began reviewing and signing diplomas, but not without glancing at the map every few moments.

When I awoke the next morning, I was oddly rested, as though I had just had the best sleep of my life. Slightly puzzled by this, I began to look around, and quickly remembered why I felt so good. Not only had I not slept since Hermione had disappeared, but it was also my first sleep since the fall of Voldemort. As the realization that the terror he had caused for so long was over ran through my mind, an odd feeling came over me. I felt relieved, yet for some reason, I was still scared.

I rolled my head to the side, gazing over the hills to where Hermione was wondering across the field. As I watched her run her fingers through the wheat, my heart ached as I realized that at that moment, I wanted nothing but to be able to talk to her. To Hermione…my Hermione. My stomach turned as I was overcome with dread. _What if the potion doesn't work? What if Snape messes it up? What if her most important person isn't Ron…_

I stood from the blanket and walked quickly away from her, retreating behind some trees as tears rolled down my cheeks. I stood there, quickly wiping those few tears away, a million thoughts running through my mind. So many things could go wrong and keep me from ever seeing her again. Was that embrace before she ran away the last time I'll ever touch her? Was that first "I love you" the last thing I'll ever say to her?

I buried my head in my hands as tears began to fall uncontrollably down my cheeks. Memories of her began to flash beneath my eyelids as I fell to my knees, overcome with fear.

"Harry?"

I only shook my head, not wanting to look up. One of my hands left my face and waved her away, not wanting her to see me like this. But she caught my hand mid-air and held it tightly, and my eyes finally rose to hers. She stared at me for a few long moments, and I realized how much she was like Hermione, wonderfully caring and endlessly stubborn.

"You're still in there somewhere," I said quietly, and she tried to hide her confusion from her face. "Come on, lets go home."


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: Here's a second chapter with this update because the previous is so short. Hope you like it!

Chapter Seven

Today's the day. The day when Hermione will finally be returned to me. But although her safe and mishap-free return should be my only focus, I cannot help but think of what may happen in its aftermath. Will she jump into Ron's waiting arms, overjoyed to be with him again? Will I have to face the truth; that she loves him, and not me? My heart aches as I stare out the window of Dumbledore's office. Upon our return to Hogwarts, he told us that we would be staying in the upper chambers of his office, and were not to leave. We've been here for 4 days, and we were both becoming restless when he appeared silently at our doorway to announce that the ritual would be performed later today.

I turn away from the window to see that Hermione is gone, probably to the lavatory. Surprisingly enough, Dumbledore's office did not hold private toilets, so we have been using an invisibility cloak that Dumbledore had in his office to sneak out a backdoor to the nearest ones, which he had charmed much like the field of the World Quidditch Cup 2 years ago. Students were magically warded off as soon as they approached it, in order to help us smoothly through the previous 4 days. I moved to the door to the hall and cracked it open a bit, wanting to watch for her return. What I saw before me was the last thing I had expected.

"Hello Hermione."

Ron…

In the middle of the hallway, not 5 feet from where I was standing stood Ron, invisibility cloak in hand, staring at Hermione who looked as though she was a dear caught in the headlights of a car. My jaw clenched as I gripped the door to open it, but a voice flew into my head.

_"Do not attempt to refresh her memory."_

My eyes narrowed as I held myself back from bursting out the door, and pressed my eye against the crack in the door to watch what was happening.

"Do I um…know you?" she asked timidly, looking slightly panicked.

"Don't be scared…its okay," Ron said, in a tone that was deceptively calming. "Its Ron, Hermione..."

"I don't know…I should be getting back…" she muttered, clearly beginning to panic, although she did not understand why.

"Back where?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"To Harry," she blurted out.

"Oh no," I mouthed as my breath locked in my throat in horror as I watched the look of mingled shock and disgust on Ron's face.

"Harry's here, is he?" Ron asked her harshly. "You've been with him the past few days?" he asked, taking another step towards her. My hands clenched into fists as she backed up against a wall and he stepped into her personal space.

"Did Harry tell you about me?" he asked quietly, looking into her eyes. She shook her head only slightly, physically trying to push herself against the wall more than she already was.

"Then he didn't tell you about us," he said quietly, almost thoughtfully. My eyes widened, and although I didn't want to hear another word, I couldn't tear my eyes away from them.

"We're together, Herm. We've been together since the fall. And we were happy, until that horrible accident," he said, reaching up a finger to lightly trace over the gash on her chin. She flinched at his touch, and less than a second later she had snatched the cloak from his grasp and began running down the hall.

"Hermione!" he called after her, and began to run after her. I ripped the door open and peered around the corner after them. Hermione was lifting the cloak up and over herself while running, and as it fell over her she disappeared around a corner, Ron at her heels. I ran out into the hallway, and was about to run after them when I heard footsteps coming back towards me. Instinctively I ran back in the door and cracked it again, watching to see who it was. As the footsteps gradually grew louder and no one appeared around the corner, I quickly realized it was her.

I flung the door open and the hallway was silent for a second before I felt a rush of wind go past me, and I closed the door quickly and locked it. When I turned around from the door, I looked around the room, which still appeared empty.

"Hermione?" I called out quietly. I heard a quiet sniffle from one of the corners, and slowly walked toward it, reaching out my hand. I blindly felt my way forward until I lightly brushed against something that wasn't there, and felt it flinch beneath my fingertips. I retracted my hand a moment before slowly reaching out and pulling the cloak away from her. Her face was blank.

"Hermione," I said quietly, dropping the cloak and reaching out to her, but she tore herself away from me and shook her head. I watched as she moved towards a window, arms folded across her chest, and kept her back to me. She took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Something in my soul is screaming that that boy was wrong."

My breath caught in my throat, watching her look out the window, wishing she would turn to look at me.

I stood there a long time before deciding the best thing I could do was leave. I picked up the cloak from the floor and threw it over myself as I exited the room. There was one more thing I had to do before this ritual.

I arrived at Snape's office a few moments later and found the door open, with Snape sitting as his desk, pouring over many papers that were strewn across his desk. I quickly removed the cloak and knocked quietly on the door frame. His head snapped up and his face twisted into a smirk before looking back down at his papers.

"Don't worry about it Potter, Weasley's already been here. The potion turned out perfectly…as if it would be any other way. Now if you don't mind, I have to finish grading these," he drawled out.

"Actually, sir, I came for a different reason," I said, slowly approaching his desk. He raised his head up to look at me, one of his eyebrows raised.

"And that is?" he asked, annoyed.

"I just wanted to say, well…thanks. Even if it didn't come out properly. Thank you for everything," I said quietly. He continued to stare at me with a look of annoyance, but underneath that, I felt a quiet feeling of understanding pass between us. I nodded slightly and turned around, leaving before he could say anything.


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

A few hours later, Professor Dumbledore came to the office to bring us to the Great Hall, where the ritual was set to take place. Hermione and I followed him silently through the castle as numerous students paused and stared at us along the way. Evidently, news of what had happened had traveled through the school quickly after the dust had cleared from Voldemort's defeat.

When we reached the entrance of the hall, Dumbledore paused and turned around to face us.

"Now, Hermione, you remember what I told you about this ceremony, correct?"

"Yes sir," she replied quietly, keeping her eyes on the floor as a visible blush crept onto her cheeks. While watching her, I suddenly realized my own face felt as if it was on fire as well. In a few minutes, I'd have to kiss my best friend…my best friend who I'd been in love with for the past three years. My best friend who belonged to my other best friend...

_I'll just make sure he goes before me, _I thought. _If he goes, then I won't have to kiss her. I won't have to know what I'm missing in my life._

I looked up to see Dumbledore studying my face, a slight smile partially hidden beneath his beard. "Here we go," he said quietly, then opened the doors to the hall.

Three of the four rows of house tables had been cleared away, and five people were sitting at the remaining table. I glanced at the group quickly, recognizing most of their faces. Hermione's parents were at the head of the table, followed by Seamus, Ron, and a boy that I had never seen before. I paused when my eyes met Ron's, and a dark look passed between us. Embarrassed, I turned away from him and stared at the floor.

"Hermione, dear," Dumbledore spoke, breaking into my thoughts. I turned towards him and saw him pointing towards Snape, who had removed a vial of potion from his cloak. Hermione left my side and walked towards Snape. I heard a small gasp and looked at her mother, who was holding a handkerchief to her face. I glanced up at the rest of the hall and saw teachers posted at all entrances to the hall.

"Why the security?" I whispered to Dumbledore.

"We have reason to believe that a certain student was responsible for the Death Eaters knowing when we would be performing the ceremony that day. And that certain student has been missing ever since. We can't take any chances that he would try to retaliate," Dumbledore explained to me. I nodded, and then we parted ways as he headed over to Snape and Hermione, and I took a seat at the end of the table, away from the rest of the group.

Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it directly above Hermione, and a bright red '400' appeared in the air.

"Ready when you are my dear," Dumbledore said quietly to Hermione, who was holding the potion tightly between her shaking hands. I had done the math in my head a million times since hearing the number, and now the numbers ran in my ears louder than ever. _Four hundred seconds...Six minutes and 40 seconds…_

My eyes fell back down to Hermione, who was staring thoughtfully at the potion. Without hesitation she raised the glass to her lips, then suddenly paused, and looked straight at me. Our eyes locked and I could see fear wash over her beautiful brown eyes. After a second I nodded slightly, urging her to drink it. She nodded back at me slightly, and then tilted the thick, purple liquid into her mouth. My heart swelled a little at the thought that maybe she still trusted me a little, enough to seek out my encouragement in a time of uncertainty.

Dumbledore flicked his wand toward the number in the air and the countdown began. Hermione's parents were on their feet and at her side within seconds, and her father reached down and gave his daughter a kiss, followed by her mother. Both stared hopefully at Hermione afterwards, but she just slowly shook her head from side to side. They both slowly returned to their seats, disappointed yet knowing looks on their faces.

"Seamus," Dumbledore spoke up when no one had moved after Hermione's parents had returned to their seats. I looked at Seamus and could see that he was about as embarrassed to kiss Hermione as I was. He slowly stood up and walked towards Hermione, who was blushing furiously in the center of the room. He stopped a few feet from her and let out a sigh.

"Would you _please_ just hurry up?" sneered Snape impatiently. Seamus turned back at him sheepishly, and then turned back to Hermione. He quickly leaned in towards her and gave her the quickest of kisses, to which Hermione quickly shook her head as a 'no'.

"See, I knew it," Seamus muttered quickly and then turned towards the doors, quickly exiting the hall. I glanced up at the time. 273 seconds.

The bench next to me made a creaking sound as the boy I didn't know stood up and began to move towards Hermione. I took the opportunity to try to talk to Ron.

"Who's he?" I whispered towards him. Ron only watched him walk towards Hermione as though I hadn't said anything.

"That's Chris, Harry," Hermione's mother replied. "He lives next door to us. He and Hermione spend a lot of their time together when she's home."

"Oh," I said quietly, and turned back toward Hermione. From watching Chris' actions, I could tell that he was extremely uncomfortable about kissing her, and I could only assume that they had in fact never kissed before at all.

He approached her slowly, wiping his palms on his pants the entire walk. He stopped right in front of her and placed his hands behind his back, then leaned toward Hermione quickly and gave her a nervous and cautious first kiss. It was the most tender kiss I had ever seen, and watching I suddenly felt my blood rushing through my veins.

After a long few seconds Hermione pulled away quickly and shook her head harshly. Chris looked down at her, a slightly hurt look on his face, then turned and made his way to the far side of the table. I checked the clock again. 202 seconds.

Suddenly the room plunged into silence, as even the teachers securing the doors stopped communicating to watch as Ron stood up. His jaw was tight and I could see how tense his shoulders were as he moved towards the center of the room. As I watched him, my shoulders slumped with defeat, and although I wanted to do nothing more than look away, I found my eyes glued to Ron as he approached her. eHHH

The tension in the air heightened as he stopped very close to her and gazed at her for a few seconds.

"Time is against us, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore spoke up quietly as he moved towards the table, and my eyes along with many others darted up to the time. 178 seconds.

"Right," he muttered quietly, and then reached out to Hermione. I watched as he placed a hand on her shoulder and took another step closer to her, once again entering her space. I felt my skin grow hot as he leaned in to kiss her, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. _Turn away! _My mind screamed at me. _Don't watch! You'll never forget it!_

But my will wasn't strong enough. I watched transfixed as Ron's grip on her shoulder tightened and pulled her closer to him. Unlike all previous kisses, Hermione's eyes slipped closed, and I felt as though my heart was going to stop.

In the long few seconds that Ron stood there kissing her, images of the past began fluttering over my eyes. Memories of Hermione from the past few years, when we'd been closest to each other ran across my vision fleetingly, as if they were being dangled in front of me to tease me.

"Hermione?"

Mrs. Granger's voice brought me out of my reverie and my attention flew back to the center of the room. Although they had pulled apart, Ron was still griping Hermione's shoulder. Hermione's eyes had fluttered opened and she was staring at Ron. Mrs. Granger had gotten to her feet, and now stared hopefully at the couple. The room was completely motionless with the exception of the glaring red numbers in the air. 152 seconds. 151 seconds. 150 seconds.

Then suddenly, things began to happen very quickly.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Although contradictory, silence is the loudest sound in the world. It screams in your ears so loud that it can cause all thoughts in your mind to cease.

The silence that followed Ron and Hermione's kiss…it was one of those silences.

Hermione stared up at Ron, her eyes darting back and forth between each of his. As a smile slowly crept onto Ron's face, I stood up abruptly, drawing everyone's attention away from Hermione, and turned toward the door. The knot in my throat was becoming too big to suppress, and I needed to get out of there.

"Harry," Dumbledore called to me. I paused near the door and turned to look at him. There was a small smile on his face as he stared at me, then motioned toward Hermione. My eyes darted to Hermione, who had taken a few steps away from Ron towards me. The moment I saw her eyes, I knew.

_It didn't work._

140 seconds. 139 seconds.

"Hermione…" I whispered, and turned on my heel towards her.

"Not so fast, Potter,"

I felt something jab me harshly in the back. _A wand_… My subconscious told me. I also recognized the voice as Draco Malfoy's.

"What are you-" I started to growl at him, but he pushed his wand's tip harder into my back, and it felt as though I was being stabbed with an iron poker. My skin burned under the pressure.

"Thought you'd defeat the dark lord and get your happily ever after, did you? Not if I can help it. I'd love to watch as your precious mudblood slips away from you forever. You've taken everything from me, Potter. I'm just returning the favor."

121 seconds.

I was frozen, staring at Dumbledore. I realized from the look on his face that Draco must have had an invisibility cloak, as no hint of alarm was present.

"Here's what's going to happen," I heard Draco say behind me. "You're going to walk out of this room and let that clock run down. You're going to be responsible for losing the thing most precious to you. I'm not going to kill you Potter. I'll let you do it to yourself."

108 seconds.

I turned away from the group of people in the room, leaning my head to the side and speaking towards the floor.

"You're a fool if you think I value my life more than hers," I said flatly. I could hear Draco's breath catch in his throat.

"Stop talking!" Draco hissed at me. "Now move it." I turned with heavy eyes and looked at the clock.

96 seconds.

"Harry!" Mrs. Granger shrieked suddenly from across the room. I snapped my head towards her violently, and could sense Draco do the same. Mrs. Granger had risen from her seat and was moving towards me, a desperate look on her face. "What are you waiting for?!"

I turned towards Ron, and within a second of Mrs. Granger's reminder that time was against us, he had grabbed Hermione's hand and was pulling her behind him towards me.

"Stop!" I yelled at them, holding a hand up in front of me. I felt Draco's wand tip leave my back, and I suddenly feared for both of their lives. I didn't care if Draco took me instead. But at this moment, I held two lives within me. Mine, and hers.

70 seconds.

Without any coherent thought in my mind, I spun on my heels and dove for the space where I believed Draco was standing. I reached my arm out, hoping to catch him around the waist, and as I descended towards the floor I thought I had missed until the last second. I missed his waist, but caught his knees.

We both crumpled onto the floor, Draco's feet becoming visible as the invisibility cloak slipped up his body.

"No!" he growled at me, kicking his feet again and again at my chest as I was pulling myself towards his face. _His wand, _my mind screamed. _Get his wand!_

"You bloody git!" I suddenly heard Ron scream, and another body had joined the struggle on the floor. I looked up to see Ron dive next to us and attempt to wrench Draco's wand from his hand. As I looked up at Draco, I could see the red light of the countdown clock reflecting off his pale skin. I whipped my head around to look at the time.

48 seconds.

I looked back to Ron struggling with Draco, and could hear more footsteps approaching us now. _Dumbledore,_ I realized. Before Dumbledore's hand could land on my shoulder to pull me away from the fight, I had spun on my knees and launched myself at Hermione, who was 20 feet away from me.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. My feet felt like lead as I ran for Hermione. Hermione…standing in the middle of the room, reaching for me, her beautiful eye wide with fear. It felt as though I'd never reach her. That I would fail to save her.

When I reached Hermione, I placed my hands over both of her cheeks and pulled her towards me. I covered her lips with mine roughly, kissing her deeply and slowly. Like I had always dreamed of doing so. I felt my eyes involuntarily slip closed as I tasted something I had never tasted before. Something wonderful…

We pulled apart from each other as a gust of wind swept through the room. I turned to look around the room as the flames in all of the lamps flickered and burst suddenly, sparks sailing through the air towards Hermione and I. I felt Hermione press her face into my chest as the sparks reached us, and I wrapped my arms around her. I waited for the burning sensation of the sparks landing on my skin, but it never came. Across the room, Draco stopped struggling, and an eerie silence fell back over the room. I pulled Hermione's face away from my chest and pulled her head up to look at me. I was desperate for confirmation.

"Hermione?" I asked, my voice shaking. Tears covered her eyes as she slowly nodded, a smile spreading across her face. I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks as I felt a huge grin cross my face, and I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," I heard her mumble into my chest. Then suddenly Mr. and Mrs. Granger were there, enveloping both of us in their arms.

"Thank you Harry! Thank you so much!" cried Mrs. Granger, tears streaming down her face. I pulled myself away from them after a moment, and turned to where I had left Ron and Draco. Draco was gone, along with Dumbledore and Snape, and Ron watching Hermione and her parents, a small smile on his face. As I approached him, he reached his hand out and clapped me on the back.

"Alright there, Harry?" he asked me.

"Yeah. You?"

"Nothing I wouldn't mind getting again in exchange for breaking Malfoy's nose."

I burst into laughter, and Ron did as well.

"I have to ask," I started, wanting to clear the air before I lost my nerve. "What the hell was up with you the past few days?" Ron lowered his eyes to the floor, his smile vanishing.

"I was in denial I guess. I knew it'd be you, but I had hoped that maybe it could be me. That maybe she wasn't so easy to read and that she felt something for me underneath it all."

"But in the hallway? You said you'd been together?" Ron's face and ears turned bright red, and he replied quietly.

"Wishful thinking. I don't know why I said it. I thought maybe I could make things different by making up some story. That if her memory wasn't restored, maybe I could have a chance with her again. But it was you regardless. She'll choose you even after barely knowing you…" Ron trailed off, taking in a deep breath. He turned to face to face me squarely, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm happy for you Harry. Really," he said. And I believed him.

"You know," I said, smacking him on the back as we began to walk back towards Hermione and her parents. "I hear Lavender has it bad for you."

"Oh sod off," he replied, and we both laughed as Hermione joined us, pulling us both into her arms.


End file.
